


Lady Of The Mountain

by NervousOtaku



Series: Neo-City Series [5]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Mother-Son Relationship, Phone Call
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-27
Updated: 2018-06-27
Packaged: 2019-05-29 16:03:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 583
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15076715
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NervousOtaku/pseuds/NervousOtaku
Summary: Rowan calls home.





	Lady Of The Mountain

_Rowan trees can grow in unforgiving places where no other tree will._

He was quiet, eyes closed as he counted the tone.

After deserting, Rowan had gotten rid of his phone. He wasn't going to need it anymore, not really. In the event that he did need to call anyone, he hunted down a public phone. Of course, finding such a thing in an outlier like this...

“Miss Atwood speaking, how may I help you?”

“Hi, Mom.”

There was a pause.

“Rowan? Sweetie, why are you calling, you never call...”

He sighed, admitting “I... guess I got lonely.”

He could hear her sigh on the other end. “Yes. I imagine you would.”

For a moment, neither of them said anything. Rowan wondered if she could hear the chatter of the bar around him.

At length, he asked, “How's Sam doing?”

“I imagine it isn't what you want to hear, but Sammy's doing just fine.”

A dry smile touched Rowan's face. “Yeah, well... he's not exactly the average person.”

“Sammy's always been different, sweetie.”

True. Not every kid had a handler.

Rowan blinked, noticing some guy storming over with a scowl.

“Hurry up,” the man snarled, “I gotta make a call.”

Rowan ignored him, leaning back against the counter. “What about you, Mom? How are you doing?”

“I'm fine. Sammy checks up on me, and I have my knitting.”

“You could take up a new hobby. I hear pottery is relaxing.” he suggested, ignoring the wannabe-bully trying to loom over him.

“Oh, Rowan, I'm too old to start anything new like that...”

“Yeah, but it'd be a conversation-starter with the neighbors.”

“Sweetie, the neighbors talk about me enough as it is.”

He winced. The gesture was misinterpreted by the bully, who grinned toothily. With his free hand, Rowan reached out to his phase-weapon next to him. The pathways lit up in purple, startling the man as they hummed.

“I just want you to be happy, Mom...”

He could hear her sigh, and knew already what she was going to say.

“I can't come home. The company would have my head on a platter.” he told her.

“I know, sweetie, I know...”

“Hey, buddy—”

Apparently the pathways weren't scary enough anymore.

The phase-weapon whirred and hissed as it turned into a tabletop turret. Rowan barely heard his mother talking, even though the bar had fallen into fearful silence.

“Sammy misses you.”

“... I can't come back... I can't...” he murmured, closing his eyes and swallowing.

“I know, sweetie—”

“No, Mom... you don't understand. They...”

He trailed off, looking up at the other patrons. The bully hurried away. Everyone else hurried to look busy, like they weren't listening.

“Rowan? What is it?”

He sighed, dropping his head and his hand. Under the clunking and hissing of the phase-weapon returning to neutral, he said, “Nothing. Don't worry about it. I need to go, holding up the line. You take care, yeah?”

He could hear her disapproval. The same way she would be silent but disapproving when he came home from playgrounds beaten and bloody.

“... I will, Rowan... you too...”

With that, he hung up.

“All yours, bub.” he yelled across the bar to the bully hiding in the corner. Grabbing his phase-weapon, he left the building.

He didn't need to burden her. Didn't need to put her in danger by telling her...

Rowan's fingers moved to his temple, rubbing at the scar there as he walked.

_Rowan trees can grow in unforgiving places where no other tree will._


End file.
